The Birth of Diversity Dialogues

What began as silence, became the catalyst for regional transformation; the power of a quiet moment led us to reshape how we grow, learn and lead alongside the disability community.

The idea was first born when no questions were asked in the Q&A section of a presentation on the intersection of family violence and disability. We knew the practitioners had questions, but why weren’t they asking? Confidence. The Diversity Dialogues webinar series was an opportunity to confront the silence and increase practitioner confidence in supporting people with a disability.

Violence against women and girls is driven by gender inequality, and ableism is the social context which gives rise to and supports violence against people with disabilities. The compounding nature of these factors creates the intersection between gender inequality and ableism and drives violence against women and girls with disabilities.[1]

One in four women have experienced intimate partner violence in Australia; and women with disability are two to three times more likely to experience intimate partner violence since the age of 15, compared to women without a disability. Due to limitations in data collection methods, the rates of violence experienced by women and girls with a disability are likely to be much higher than the available data indicates.[2]

Building workforce capability is key to improving responses and preventing violence against women and children with disabilities, including addressing unconscious bias and ableism. Increasing staff capability also requires amplifying practitioner confidence, to create long-term, attitudinal and cultural change. Therefore, our priority is to increase practitioner confidence whilst simultaneously addressing practice and system-related issues and barriers.

The Diversity Dialogues series supported practitioners across a range of fields and backgrounds. A Family Services practitioner reflected that, “What made this webinar, and the broader Diversity Dialogues series especially memorable was the variety of guest speakers, including those with lived experience, disabilities, and professional expertise. Their diverse perspectives brought depth and authenticity to the discussions, making the content not only informative but deeply engaging. This blend of voices created a rich learning environment that encouraged reflection and challenged conventional thinking in a way that felt both relevant and inspiring. ”

At a systems level, Dr Kylie Cocking, Project Officer Quality, Systems & Development told us “The series highlighted the role we can all play in closing the gaps for people with disability who experience family violence.”

CNV compiled resources from the 12-part webinar series and commissioned artwork for the cover, designed by Tanya Higgins, a local artist who is a victim survivor living with trauma-induced schizophrenia. We are now the proud owners of this artwork that hangs in CNV’s Pall Mall office for all to see.

When speaking with Tanya, the journey she went on while creating the artwork as helping her let go and supporting her to tell her story. Tanya is passionate about her artwork helping to show other victim survivors that there is good in the world, despite what they are experiencing currently and empowering them to imagine what a life of safety could look like.

Throughout this process, Tanya has been supported by local art therapist, Melissa Harrington from Scribbles Allied Therapy and reflects on how transformative art therapy has been for her healing journey. Tanya shares that she was not able to find the rights words to tell her story through the mainstream clinical approach, and reinforces that for her and many others alike, physical safety did not equate to feeling safe. Tanya talks about how different her life and healing journey would have looked if she found art therapy 20 years ago. Tanya credits the process of art therapy to the reclaiming of her life.

CNV recognised the opportunity and importance of commissioning an artist with a disability, specifically as a non-disability organisation and our responsibility as a specialist family violence service, to acknowledge the high prevalence of violence against women and girls with disabilities. We are proud to showcase Tanya’s artwork and express our gratitude for the privilege of her trusting us with her story and artwork.

The theme for International Day of People with Disability 2025 is ‘Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress’. [3]

Fostering disability-inclusive societies means creating communities, systems, and services where people with disabilities are valued, respected and fully able to participate in all aspects of life. This involves recognising that people with disabilities experience amplified forms of violence that target their disabilities, barriers to safety, and exclusion from mainstream responses.

Manager of the Community Inclusion and Women’s Empowerment program at Women with Disabilities Victoria, and Chair of the Loddon Family Violence Disability Practice Leader Steering Committee, Liz Wright, reminds us why inclusion is so important.

“Because of the over representation and diversity of women with disabilities, there is a need for active inclusion and to challenge the status quo, through storytelling, listening to the disability community and responding in a more nuanced way to prevent violence and create better long-term outcomes for women and gender diverse people,” says Liz.

By raising this profile, CNV helps build a society where inclusion and safety are mutually reinforcing, where preventing and responding to family violence become part of a larger movement toward justice, equality, collective wellbeing, and participation are realised for everyone.

[1] Our Watch, & Women with Disabilities Victoria. (2022). Changing the landscape: A national resource to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities. Melbourne, Australia: Our Watch.

[2] Ibid.

[3] International Day of Persons with Disabilities – 3 December | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD). (2024, December 3). https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-3-december